Kiddipedia
Looking for a fun family dinner that puts a fresh spin on Friday night fish and chips? This one might just become a new favourite.
We’re sharing a recipe from Attica’s Ben Shewry, created for National Barramundi Day on Friday 16 October. Ben has taken the familiar flavours of fish and chips and turned them into something a little more exciting for the whole family — crispy beer-battered barramundi tucked into a buttery brioche bun with zesty finger lime tartare, crunchy salt-and-vinegar chips, shredded iceberg lettuce, cheddar and dill pickles.
It’s messy, crispy, cheesy and full of flavour — the sort of dinner that feels a little more special than the usual weeknight meal, without losing the fun of a family favourite.
And there’s a lovely Australian story behind it, too. Ben is a longtime sustainable seafood advocate and is backing Aussie barramundi farmers. Australian-farmed barramundi is rated “Better Choice” in the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s GoodFish guide, making it a seafood choice that supports Australian farmers while bringing locally farmed fish to the family table.
So, if your kids love fish and chips, or you’re simply looking for a new way to serve up a family favourite, why not turn dinner into Barra n Chips night?
Just make sure everyone gets a good-sized napkin — this one is best enjoyed with plenty of crunch and a little bit of mess!
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Fish
- 6 x 110g Australian barramundi fillet portions
- Rice flour, for dusting
- Fine salt
- 3 litres canola oil, for frying
Beer batter
- ½ cup plain flour
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of white pepper
- ½ cup cold lager beer
- ½ cup cold sparkling water
Fingerlime tartare
- 200g canola oil
- 40g confit garlic, cooled
- 20g egg yolk
- 20g lemon juice
- 5g Dijon mustard
- 2g fine salt
- 1½ tbsp finely chopped dill
- 1 tbsp finely chopped capers
- 1 tbsp finely chopped gherkin
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fingerlime pearls
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Hot chips
- 2 large Russet potatoes, or another good frying potato
- Vinegar powder, to taste
- Fine salt, to taste
Garnish
- 6 burger buns, cut in half
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- ½ iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
- 6 slices cheddar cheese
- 2 large dill pickled cucumbers, sliced into rounds
Method
- Preheat the oven to 120°C. Heat the canola oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 140°C for frying the chips
- To make the beer batter, place the plain flour, rice flour, salt, smoked paprika, baking powder and white pepper into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cold lager and sparkling water and whisk until just combined. Take care not to overwork the batter. Refrigerate until required
- To make the finger lime tartare, place the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, confit garlic and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly add the canola oil while whisking continuously until all the oil has been incorporated and the aioli is thick and smooth. Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
- Add the dill, capers, gherkin and lemon juice and mix well. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently fold through the fingerlime pearls, taking care not to crush them. Refrigerate until required
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into approximately 1 cm-thick chips. Wash under cold running water for approximately 5 minutes to remove the excess surface starch.
- Place the chips into a saucepan of cold, lightly salted water and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender but still holding their shape, with the edges beginning to soften. Carefully drain and refrigerate until completely cold
- Make sure the chips are completely dry, then fry for 4 minutes in the oil, or until the outside has begun to firm without taking on too much colour. Remove from the oil, drain well and allow to cool completely
- For the final fry, increase the oil temperature to 190°C. Fry the chips for approximately 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Drain well and season immediately with fine salt and a small amount of vinegar powder
- Wrap the burger buns in foil and place them into the oven for approximately 5 minutes, or until warmed through
- Reduce the oil temperature to 180°C. Season the rice flour with a small amount of fine salt. Lightly dust the barramundi pieces in the seasoned rice flour, shaking off any excess, then dip them into the cold beer batter. Allow the excess batter to drip off before carefully lowering the pieces of fish into the oil. Fry for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oil and drain on a rack
- Season the fish lightly with sea salt and immediately place the cheddar on top, allowing the heat from the fish to soften the cheese
- Remove the burger buns from the oven and unwrap them. Spread the salted butter generously over both cut sides
- Spread 1 tbsp of the fingerlime tartare sauce over the bottom half of the bun and add 4-5 slices of pickle on top of the tartare
- Place three or four hot chips over the tartare sauce, leaving a little space between them. Add a small handful of finely shredded iceberg lettuce around the chips
- Carefully place the battered barramundi and cheddar on top. Spread another 1 tbsp of fingerlime tartare sauce over the top half of the bun. Finish with the top half of the bun and serve immediately while the fish and chips are hot and crisp
